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CHAPTER 56. A Mistaken Invitation
To say that Nick had been left thinking was an understatement. He had been haunted by Valeria's every word, for he was sure they were all true. And he had no idea how to fix anything he had done. The rest of his week boiled down to burying his head in paperwork by day and drinking at night, never letting go of the thought that Valeria would soon be making a life for herself with someone else. He had hurt her so much that he really couldn't expect anything else. He went from police station to police station, until in one of them, and after paying a substantial “gift”, someone confirmed to him that Valeria Williams had been charged with assault and sentenced on the same night. The case files were sealed, only the judge's name was on display, and Nick's stomach turned when he heard it had been Judge Vanderville. For as long as he could remember, he had known him to be a regular attendee to the Joneses' parties. But try as he might to meet with him, Vanderville refused to see him. He t
CHAPTER 57. An unexpected accident
She couldn't say that everyone had heard that conversation that had been played on Valeria's cell phone, but at least two dozen people had heard it, and that was enough to spread the gossip. Miranda looked petrified and about to explode while Valeria put her cell phone away and looked at Nick. “That was a low blow.” But, incredibly, Nick smiled at her. “You can't say I didn't warn you,” Valeria replied, and suddenly she felt Nick's arm reach out in front of her, saw him turn half his body, and tuck his shoulder to take Miranda's blow. “You'd better get out of here now, troublemaker,” he said in her ear. “Things are going to get ugly, and I don't want anything to happen to you.” Her gaze swept around the room looking for the twins, but she realized they were closer than she thought. He gently pushed Valeria towards them. “Please take Valeria home... And thank you for bringing her,” he murmured, turning around to face the seven-headed monster Miranda had become. The twins looked a
CHAPTER 58. A scare to death
They had to wait another hour before the doctor came out again, and this time she wore a smile that reassured everyone. “Mr. Elliot Davis is out of danger,” she announced, and not knowing how, Andrew found himself hugging the Bennets with relief—both Bennets!—while wiping away tears. “Let's get some coffee.” Layla dragged him out of there, and Nick sat down in one of the stiff chairs, his head in his hands. “Would you like to come in and see your wife?” asked the doctor, and Nick automatically raised his head. “Y-yes, please.” The doctor led him to a private room where Valeria was resting, and Nick felt something snap inside him as soon as the woman closed the door. He covered his mouth with one hand, but couldn't hold back the sobbing as he approached Valeria's bed. He sat down next to her, pushing aside a lock of hair that fell over her face, and let out all the despair he had felt in the last few hours. Never in his entire life had he experienced such panic, and while he was a
CHAPTER 59. A multimillion-dolar lawsuit
“‘Situation?’” That single word had made Nick jump up like a spring. “Did something happen to her?” he asked, startled. “Well, I… uh... I think she wants to go to the bathroom,” Layla replied, and Nick almost fainted from relief. “You really need to work on your news-breaking, mother,” he said, annoyed. “That's not a situation. Just call the nurse.” Layla pointed to the two nurses on duty. They probably didn't weigh a hundred pounds between them. “Valeria is groggy from the sedatives. She looks like she just got drunk on straight whiskey,” Layla replied. “Do you think either of them can carry her to the bathroom?” Nick made a sympathetic gesture and followed his mother into Valeria's room. She was laughing. Her IV had already been removed, but the sedatives were still wearing off. “Of coooourse not!” she said as soon as she saw Nick come through the door, put his jacket aside, and rolled up his shirt sleeves before approaching her. “There's no one else, and I'm just going to
CHAPTER 60. A little revenge
No one knew that Valeria and Richard had spent less than forty-eight hours in New York. And they definitely slept a full day after returning home. Just in time to welcome Elliot, who came back from the hospital. Three days later, Valeria went out to pick up her half dozen pink roses, which this time arrived with the words “LOVE YOU” written on the note. “Are you going out?” asked her father, watching her pour coffee into a to-go cup. “Yes, tomorrow is the Bennet Designs’ fashion show, and I'm already tired of being in bed. I feel fine,” Valeria answered, giving him a kiss on the cheek before leaving. She arrived at the office, accompanied by Jack and Yuri, almost before anyone else, so when Nick opened the door to the meeting room, the first thing he saw was Valeria, in the middle of a nest-like setup that she had made with all the documents. “Val? What are you doing here? Why aren't you resting?” Valeria looked up at him, a little surprised by the familiarity. “Good morning, Mr
CHAPTER 61. A fashion disaster
Nick looked into that room with wild eyes and held his hands to his head. Scraps of fabric were everywhere, and not a single design remained intact. He picked up a piece from the floor, and Valeria saw his fists clench angrily over each end of the fabric. “They were cut cleanly. Every one of them,” he muttered. “This is—” He had no words to describe it. He had spent weeks working on that presentation. It was the effort of an entire team who had gone out of their way to make everything perfect, and now— “God, this is a disaster!” Valeria felt she could touch the sadness in him. However, she only felt anger. She gathered her strength and turned to Oli. “Send the models to room three, please. I'll be with them in a few minutes,” she asked. “Valeria... I'm sorry,” Nick didn't know what else to say. “I'm so sorry. I'll go apologize to the guests, and maybe we can talk later... I'm sorry!” Valeria saw him heading towards the catwalk, but stopped him before he could get out and take r
CHAPTER 62. A hasty wedding
Never in his life had Nicholas Bennet run faster or avoiding more obstacles, but it took him only a second to get through the corridor, through the living room, and to the door. His mother looked at him reprovingly and pushed the morning paper against his chest. “You weren't planning to invite me? Or were you already sure I wasn't going to come?” asked Leyla, walking past him and into his apartment. “Because let me tell you something, I'm not going to that circus!” Nick opened the newspaper and read the note that accompanied the picture of him and Miranda. “What the hell is this?!” he shouted, shaking the paper as he read the announcement of their wedding for that very afternoon. “Aren't you going to marry her?” Layla questioned him. “No, no, no, of course not!” “Well, that says yes, yes, yes, of course you are,” Layla mimicked. “You really didn't know?” Nick shook his head, dumbfounded, and tossed the paper aside. “Do you think if I'd known I'd be sleeping through my wedding d
CHAPTER 63. A wedding...
Layla caught her son's hands before he knotted his bow tie. “Of course you're not going to do it!” she exclaimed. “I'm not letting you!” “Mom, it's already decided,” Nick replied, slowly pulling her away to look at himself in the mirror. He felt like an idiot, but there was nothing to be done. “What the heck is wrong with Valeria? Did she go crazy or what? If you don't want to get married, she can't force you!” “That's enough Layla! You talk more than Miranda. Stop it,” Nick replied. “She asked me to get married, and I... I think I owe her.” “What? To be unhappy with that stupid Miranda?” “No,” Nick answered, looking down. “To trust her. I owe it to Valeria to trust her, so for better or worse, I'm going to do what she asked me to do.” Layla protested, crossed her arms, and peeked out of the small room. “I swear I'm going to kick her ass when I see her,” she said. The event hall was already full. Unfortunately, booking an overnight church was pretty easy in Los Angeles, so